(Translated from French)
Questionnaire for Member States
1.
Burundi can provide information on good practices in the establishment,
preservation and provision of access to archives on human rights.
It should nevertheless be noted that in the case of the Ministry responsible for the
National Archives, the archives stored in our central depository cover all areas. There are
thus no separate collections of human rights archives.
1.1
Burundi has no specific legislation governing human rights archives. In the
case of the Ministry having responsibility for archives, the only reference document
is the National Cultural Policy. This text deals with archives in general and not with
human rights archives in particular.
1.2
Yes, but this provision applies to the country’s documentary heritage as a
whole and does not refer specifically to human rights documentation.
1.3
Yes, in a general manner. Regulations identify the archival authority but say
nothing about the rules for its operations. The legal text in force is Decree No.
100/49 of 14 March 1979, on the organization of the archives of the Republic of
Burundi.
1.4
Yes, it does for archives as a whole (see the aforementioned Decree).
1.5
Yes. In the case of national archives, training workshops and seminars as
well as advanced training are regularly organized for archival staff. Visits to the
storage facilities of administrative entities are also organized, and during these visits
instructions and guidelines are issued both to archivists and to the heads of services.
1.6
Persons assigned to the archival services are not sufficiently trained in
archiving techniques, and there is consequently a need to train professionals. In the
National Archives, guides and manuals on the subject of archives management have
been prepared. These include research tools, such as the Guide to the National
Archives and various catalogues and inventories.
1.7
The physical security of archival institutions is not guaranteed in that these
institutions lack the adequate intake infrastructure. Moreover, the documents
themselves are not adequately protected. This situation is the result of poor
management and the fact that archives are not given the consideration they deserve.
It is to meet this challenge that the training workshops and seminars have been
organized for archive management staff.
1.8
Yes. The service in charge of the national archives frequently organizes
activities aimed at fostering awareness and educating the public, including
administrative officials, on the importance of archives and their role in society.
2.
We do not have any specific information on good practices with regard to access to
human rights archives, but in our view the archives held by administrative entities are easily
accessible and they are well preserved.
3.
We would note in this connection the establishment of transitional justice
mechanisms and ad hoc human rights commissions.
HRC/NONE/2014/8
GE.14-10192 (E) 070314 070314
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HRC/NONE/2014/8
4.
The following activities might be considered:
1.
Instruct Member States that do not do these things to reconsider the role and
place of archives and human rights archives in particular;
2.
Develop training partnerships for human rights archivists;
3.
Develop and put in place adequate infrastructures aimed at the conservation
and protection of archives and making them profitable;
4.
Provide institutional and financial support for existing archival services or
centres.
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GE.14-10192